Cricinfo





 





Live Scorecards
Fixtures - Results






England v Pakistan
Top End Series
Stanford 20/20
Twenty20 Cup
ICC Intercontinental Cup





News Index
Photo Index



Women's Cricket
ICC
Rankings/Ratings



Match/series archive
Statsguru
Players/Officials
Grounds
Records
All Today's Yesterdays









Cricinfo Magazine
The Wisden Cricketer

Wisden Almanack



Reviews
Betting
Travel
Games
Cricket Manager







Tendulkar competition: the winner
Wisden CricInfo staff - October 26, 2001

When we announced the Wisden 100 list of the greatest Test performances of all time, many readers were dismayed that no innings by Sachin Tendulkar was included. We asked you to e-mail us your thoughts, nominating one of Sachin's performances, for the chance to win two tickets to see him bat in a Test match anywhere in the world. Yesterday we published a selection of the best responses. Today we publish the winning entry, by Sudip Roy I nominate his 155* against Australia in Madras in 1998.

The Australians were then, as now, the dominant force in world cricket. In the first innings of the match Sachin Tendulkar had got out to Shane Warne for four. Despite having hit 204* against Warne and co. in a warm-up match for Mumbai, this was different. Tendulkar was under pressure. He had to justify his billing as the best batsman in the world and to do that he had to take on and succeed against the best legspinner to have played the game in 50 years.

Going into the second innings, India had a slight advantage which the openers built on. To most detached observers, coming out to bat with a 100-plus lead to the team's name must have seemed an ideal situation. But Tendulkar still had to perform -- after all, he is the very nerve centre of the team.

Immediately Mark Taylor brought on Warne. His second ball was the pivotal moment -- not just for that innings and series but for all future Warne-Tendulkar encounters.

Warne tossed the ball up, Tendulkar took a couple of strides forward and smashed it for six over midwicket. After that he raced to an unbeaten 150, scoring quickly enough to allow his bowlers time to win the match, which they duly did.

The rest of that Australian attack might not have been the strongest. There was no Glenn McGrath, no Jason Gillespie. But that innings demonstrated Tendulkar's brilliance. It was his first Test after his first failed stint as captain, so the pressure he was under was immense. The innings allowed him to attain a psychological advantage over the best team in the world, which he has maintained ever since.

Most importantly, India won, something they have not managed to do too often, even when the little genius has scored a ton.

Sudip Roy, 26, is a financial journalist working in London. He supports India and is "shocked and delighted" to have won the competition as he has never been to a Test involving Tendulkar. He is hoping to go to one of India's Tests in the Caribbean in March or April.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd